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Fresh Paint originated from a Microsoft Research project known as Project Gustav,[2] an endeavor to reproduce the behavior of physical oil paint on a digital medium. To push the boundaries of simulating oil on a digital medium the research team created a physics model that precisely replicated on a screen what would happen in the real world if you combined oil, a surface and a tool such as a paint brush. Two publications, Detail-Preserving Paint Modeling for 3D Brushes and Simple Data-Driven Modeling of Brushes,[3][4] were released as a result of the team’s findings.

After a variety of internal testing Project Gustav was codenamed Digital Art.[5] Partnering with The Museum of Modern Art, Digital Art was tested for a year by 60,000 people. With feedback culled from MoMA, developers expanded the existing physics model, experimenting with how real oil paint blended and reacted to the texture of a canvas. After final adjustments were made Digital Art was rebranded as Fresh Paint and released to the public with Windows 8 in October 2012.